WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
November Edition
Dylan Cozens just recorded nine points over a four-game stretch. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
A torrid four-game stretch in which Buffalo Sabres center Dylan Cozens registered four goals and nine points has earned him NHL Second Star honors for the week ending Sunday.
Cozens, 21, scored in last Monday’s 6-5 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning before adding two more goals in Wednesday’s 5-4 shootout road win over the Detroit Red Wings.
The Yukon native followed up by recording one goal and two assists in Thursday’s 6-4 loss ... Read the full article
Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner (left) and Rasmus Dahlin (right) celebrate a goal in Sunday’s win. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – If the struggling Sabres couldn’t fix some of their recent problems and earn a much-needed win against the lowly San Jose Sharks, well, you had to wonder when they’d ever get on track.
The Sharks limped into town Sunday to close a four-game road trip having lost four of their last five contests, including a defeat a night earlier in Ottawa.
They were ripe to be beaten and the Sabres, as their 6-3 ... Read the full article
Rasmus Dahlin grew up watching Erik Karlsson. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The comparisons are inevitable given that both defensemen hail from Sweden and have a penchant for making jaw-dropping plays.
Sometimes when Rasmus Dahlin makes a slick move or scores a highlight-reel goal, he will inevitably hear Erik Karlsson did something similar years ago.
“I try to do my own thing, but it’s always a very cool thing to hear,” the Sabres defenseman said of being compared to Karlsson, who’s enjoying a dynamic comeback ... Read the full article
JJ Peterka ranks among the NHL’s leading rookie scorers. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – JJ Peterka spotted imminent danger coming the Sabres’ way, so as the puck slid around the boards as they enjoyed a power play, he began hightailing it back toward his zone.
“I got on my horse,” the rookie winger said following Saturday’s practice.
Peterka’s instincts and speed allowed him to close in on Logan O’Connor at center ice, and he thwarted the Colorado Avalanche winger’s scoring attempt with the Sabres trailing by one ... Read the full article
Buffalo goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen tries to thwart a scoring attempt by Colorado’s Artturi Lehkonen’s on Thursday. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres’ penalty killing has alternated this week between abysmal and excellent, helping them lose two games and win another.
In Thursday’s 6-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at KeyBank Center, it was awful, allowing three goals in six attempts to the NHL’s top power play, including two in a span of 49 seconds in the second period.
A night earlier in their 5-4 shootout win in Detroit, the Sabres killed all seven ... Read the full article
Peyton Krebs returned to the lineup Thursday. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres inserted center Peyton Krebs for Thursday’s 5-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, just his second appearance in the last six games.
To make room for Krebs, a healthy scratch the previous three contests, the Sabres sat out winger Vinnie Hinostroza.
That Krebs, 21, had been bumped out of the lineup wasn’t surprising. He sat out two games in late October when the Sabres briefly began rotating forwards. He had mustered zero ... Read the full article
Tyson Jost as played four games for Buffalo. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The struggles and other experiences Sabres center Tyson Jost has endured since entering the NHL as a teenager have helped him develop a unique perspective.
Jost has already played 358 NHL games, the fourth-highest total among Sabres skaters. Having been drafted 10th overall in 2016, the Colorado Avalanche initially cast him in a scoring role. When that didn’t work out, he fell down the lineup and was traded last season.
He lasted only ... Read the full article
Nikita Kucherov ran into Buffalo goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on Monday. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Late in the third period of Monday’s 6-5 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, superstar Nikita Kucherov ran Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the crease, hitting the Sabres goalie high and knocking him to the ice as he fought for the tying goal.
Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin immediately pounced on Kucherov, igniting a melee.
Luukkonen stayed in the game, while Kucherov was penalized for goalie interference at 15:27 and Dahlin earned a roughing call.... Read the full article
Tampa Bay’s Nick Paul watches Steven Stamkos’ shot beat Buffalo goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in overtime Monday. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – With less than six minutes left in Monday’s 6-5 overtime loss, winger Jeff Skinner grabbed the puck near the goal line and beat goalie Brian Elliott short side, giving the Sabres what felt like a commanding two-goal lead.
After falling behind 2-0 early to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Sabres roared back, tying the game before the first period ended and grabbing a second-period lead. When Brayden Point’s second-power play-goal knotted the game ... Read the full article
Buffalo drafted Brandon Hagel in 2016. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Over the past 10 years, five prospects the Sabres drafted in the sixth round or later have played NHL games. Just three have earned regular duty.
Winger Victor Olofsson has scored 11 goals for the Sabres this season, a total that trails only center Tage Thompson’s 13. Goalie Linus Ullmark, who departed Buffalo in 2021, has a stunning 13-1-0 record for the Boston Bruins.
The other? Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel, ... Read the full article